Description for Pumpkin F1 Hybrid 406

Pumpkins do require a lot of food and a long growing season (generally from 75 to 100 frost-free days) so you need to plant them by late May in northern locations to early July in extremely southern states.

Pumpkins can be made into sweet or savoury dishes, their seeds are healthy and fun to roast, and they serve as beautiful, bright fall decorations. Growing pumpkins is easy and inexpensive, since they thrive in many different regions.

Pumpkin is an annual plant with short cycle grown commonly in the tropics between March and June.

Common name

Flower colours

Bloom time

Height

Difficulty

fluted gourd, fluted pumpkin, ugu

-

Summer,spring

Height: 1.5 to 3 feetSpread: 5 to 15 feet

Easy

Planting and care

Planting by Seed

Pumpkins do best when the seeds are directly planted in the ground.
If your growing season is very short, seed indoors in peat pots about 2 to 4 weeks before last spring frost. Be sure to harden off before transplanting. Wait until the plant soil is 70ÂºF or more before sowing seeds. Optimum soil temperature is 95ÂºF. Pumpkins are very sensitive to the cold. Plant seeds in rows or â€œpumpkin hillsâ€ which are the size of small pitcher mounds. With hills, the soil will warm more quickly and the seeds will germinate faster. This also helps with drainage and pest control. Prepare the hills in advance with an abundance of old manure dug deep into the ground (12 to 15 inches). If you donâ€™t have manure, loosen the soil and mix in a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost Plant the seeds 1 inch deep into the hills (4 to 5 seeds per hill). Space hills 4 to 8 feet apart. Your plants should germinate in less than a week with the right soil temperautre (70 degrees F) and emerge in 5 to 10 days.
When the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall, thin to 2 to 3 plants per hill by snipping off unwanted plants without disturbing the roots of the remaining ones. In rows, sow seeds 6 to 12 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 feet apart. Snip off plants to thin to one plant every 18 to 36 inches.

Sunlight

Soil

Water

Temperature

Fertilizer

Full sun

Requires well-drained soil, fertile, loose soil, high in organic matter with pH between 5.8 and 6.8. Plentiful and consistent moisture is needed from the time plants emerge until fruits begin to fill out.

Regular watering is important up to seed germination. After germination water should be applied once in 5-7 days.

Before planting, you can always mix in some compost or well-rotted manure with the soil when creating the mounds. After the plant is established, you can help it with a dose of fertilizer every month or so, after the flowers appear.5-15-15 or 8-24-24 fertilizer ratios work best.

Caring for Pumpkin F1 Hybrid 406

Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and need lots of water. Water one inch per week. Water deeply, especially during fruit set.

When watering: Try to keep foliage and fruit dry unless it is a sunny day. Dampness will make rot more likely.

Pumpkins are also greedy eaters. A regular treatment of manure or compost mixed with water will sustain good growth.

Fertilize on a regular basis.

Use a high nitrogen formula in early plant growth.

Fertilize when plants are about one foot tall, just before vines begin to run.

Switch over to a fertilizer high in phosphorous just before the blooming period.

Remember that pumpkins are tender from planting to harvest.

Control weeds with mulch. Do not overcultivate, or their very shallow roots may be damaged.

Most small vine varieties can be trained up a trellis.

Larger varieties can be trained upward on a trellis, tooâ€”though it is an engineering challenge to support the fruitâ€”usually with netting or old stockings.

Pinch off the fuzzy ends of each vine after a few pumpkins have formed.

This will stop vine growth so that the plant s energies are focused on the fruit.

If your first flowers aren t forming fruits, that s normal. Both male and female blossoms need to open. Be patient.

Bees are essential for pollination, so be mindful when using insecticides to kill pests.

If you must use, apply only in late afternoon or early evening when blossoms are closed for the day.

Pumpkin vines, though obstinate, are very delicate.

Take care not to damage vines, which reduces the quality of fruit.

Pruning the vines may help with space as well as allow the plant s energy to be concentrated on the remaining vines and fruit.

Gardeners who are looking for a "prize for size" pumpkin might select the two or three prime candidates and remove all other fruit and vines.

As the fruit develops, they should be turned (with great care not to hurt the vine or stem) to encourage an even shape.

Slip a thin board or a piece of plastic mesh under the pumpkins.

Harvesting

Your best bet is to harvest pumpkins when they are mature. They will keep best this way.

Do not pick pumpkins off the vine because they have reached your desired size.

If you want small pumpkins, buy a small variety.
A pumpkin is ripening when its skin turns a deep, solid colour (orange for most varieties).

When you thumb the pumpkin, the rind will feel hard and it will sound hollow.

Press your nail into the pumpkin s skin; if it resists puncture, it is ripe.

To harvest the pumpkin, cut the fruit off the vine carefully with a sharp knife or pruners; do not tear.

Be sure not to cut too close to the pumpkin; a liberal amount of stem (3 to 4 inches) will increase the pumpkin s keeping time.

Handle pumpkins very gently or they may bruise.

Pumpkins should be cured in the sun for about a week to toughen the skin and then stored in a cool, dry bedroom or cellarâ€”anywhere around.

If you get a lot of vines and flowers but no pumpkins, you need more bees in your garden to pollinate the flowers. Grow some colourful flowers next to your pumpkin patch this year and you may get more bees and butterflies!

Typical uses of Pumpkin F1 Hybrid 406

Special features:

Its preparation as an anthelmintic consist of mixing 100-200 g of peeled pumpkin seeds (without testa) with honey or syrup (up to 100 ml) and gradually taken over the course of 1 hour.

After 3 hours it should be taken some type of laxative to expel parasites. It has been very helpful in removing the Taenia Solium and Taenia Saginata.

Another use of the pumpkin is as anti-inflammatory for cystitis, prostatitis, in particular for preventing or treating prostate cancer and also for insomnia.

The pulp either raw or cooked is used as emulsifier.
From the pumpkin seeds is extracted an oil very good for household and medicinal uses.

The seed has refreshing and soothing properties, is given as "seed milk" for nephritis and inflammation of the bladder and urethra.

Culinary use:

Nearly every part of the pumpkin can be eaten.

The cooked pulp is fabulous in pies, cookies, breads, soups, appetizers, main dishes . . . the list goes on and on!

The blossoms are excellent breaded and fried or use as a wrap.

The seeds make a great snack.

Medicinal use: 1. Heart Healthy Magnesium One-quarter cup of pumpkin seeds contains nearly half of the recommended daily amount of magnesium, which participates in a wide range of vitally important physiological functions, including the creation of ATP , the synthesis of RNA and DNA, the pumping of your heart, proper bone and tooth formation, relaxation of your blood vessels, and proper bowel function. Magnesium has been shown to benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke, yet an estimated 80 percent of Americans are deficient in this important mineral.

2. Zinc for Immune Support Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of zinc (one ounce contains more than 2 mg of this beneficial mineral). Zinc is important to your body in many ways, including immunity, cell growth and division, sleep, mood, your senses of taste and smell, eye and skin health, insulin regulation, and male sexual function.

Many are deficient in zinc due to mineral-depleted soils, drug effects, plant-based diets, and other diets high in grain. This deficiency is associated with increased colds and flu, chronic fatigue, depression, acne, low birth weight babies, learning problems and poor school performance in children, among others.

3. Plant-Based Omega-3 Fats Raw nuts and seeds, including pumpkin seeds, are one of the best sources of plant-based omega-3s (alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)). We all need ALA, however, ALA has to be converted by your body into the far more essential omega-3 fats EPA and DHA â€” by an enzyme in which the vast majority of us have impaired by high insulin levels. So, while pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of ALA, I believe it is essential to get some of your omega-3 fats from animal sources, such as krill oil, as well.

4. Prostate Health Pumpkin seeds have long been valued as an important natural food for menâ€™s health. This is in part because of their high zinc content, which is important for prostate health (where it is found in the highest concentrations in the body), and also because pumpkin seed extracts and oils may play a role in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, or enlarged prostate). Research suggests that both pumpkin seeds,2 and pumpkin seed oil used in combination with saw palmetto may be particularly beneficial in supporting prostate health.

6. Benefits for Postmenopausal Women Pumpkin seed oil is rich in natural phytoestrogens and studies suggest it may lead to a significant increase in good â€œHDLâ€ cholesterol along with decreases in blood pressure, hot flashes, headaches, joint pains and other menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women.

8. Tryptophan for Restful Sleep Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of tryptophan, an amino acid (protein building block) that your body converts into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, the â€œsleep hormone.â€ Eating pumpkin seeds a few hours before bed, along with a carbohydrate like a small piece of fruit, may be especially beneficial for providing your body the tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production to help promote a restful nightâ€™s sleep.

9. Anti-Inflammatory Benefits Pumpkin seed oil has been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. One animal study even found it worked as well as the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin in treating arthritis, but without the side effects.